E-book
The magic maker a portrait of John Langstaff, creator of the Christmas revels
Record details
- ISBN: 9780763656577 (electronic bk.)
- ISBN: 0763656577 (electronic bk.)
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Physical Description:
electronic resource
remote
1 online resource : ill. - Publisher: Somerville, Mass : Candlewick Press, 2011.
Content descriptions
| Source of Description Note: | Description based on print version record. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Langstaff, John M Baritones (Singers) -- United States -- Biography Theatrical producers and directors -- United States -- Biography Revels, Inc. |
| Genre: | Electronic books. |
Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2011 September #2
*Starred Review* This unusual book offers an affectionate portrait of John Langstaff (1920â2005), who shared his bountiful love of music with others though singing, dancing, teaching music to children, and creating the Revels, a joyous celebration that combines song, dance, and drama. Beginning as a straightforward biography, the book traces Langstaff's years as a choirboy, his experiences during WWII, his varied career, and his family life, before covering the Revels, beginning with its first performance in 1957. Cooper, who worked with Langstaff on the Revels for many years, portrays him as a visionary man. With a magnetic, larger-than-life personality, he drew talented people together to create beautiful, shared experiences for communities. Cooper's recreations of memorable Revels moments seem as magical as the man himself. Langstaff's life intersects with the children's book world at several points, and along with her personal accounts of working with him on the Revels and Children's Literature New England, she also explains how he came to write the Caldecott award-winning Frog Went A-Courtin' (1955). A vivid combination of biography and memoir. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2011 August #2
A longtime collaborator provides an appealing portrayal of John Meredith Langstaff (1920–2005), the talented and passionate musician, charismatic performer and tireless researcher who created the combination of song, dance and drama known as The Revels. The first Christmas Revels in Cambridge, Mass., in 1971, was an entertainment with medieval roots and a winter solstice theme grown from Langstaff's interests in folk music and traditional dance. With his daughter Carol and other associates, he went on to develop community and seasonal celebrations of many different traditions and subjects. In nine more cities, from New England to the Puget Sound, professional and amateur musicians, children and adults, joined to offer annual performances combining mythic elements, ritual and enthusiastic audience participation. Cooper (Victory, 2006, etc.), the Newbery-winning author of The Dark Is Rising series, was a partner in many of Langstaff's projects. Describing herself as "John's tame writer for fifteen years," she explains that, late in life, he asked her to help him write a personal history going back to his choirboy childhood. Unfortunately, Langstaff died before they could complete their joint effort. For this "posthumous present to a friend," she has interviewed colleagues and scoured her subject's papers to produce a short, gracious and highly readable story of a man and an institution. Beginning with his early years in a family whose annual Christmas carol parties began before he was born, she covers his musical education, service and combat wound in World War II, teaching, performing and process of turning folksongs into children's books. The second half of her narrative is a history of the Revels. This is a selective rather than exhaustive account, with well-chosen examples and quotations that convey the breadth and appeal of an extraordinary man. A loving remembrance and a special gift for all who have encountered Langstaff and his performances. Copyright Kirkus 2011 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2011 September
About a year before his death, Langstaff asked Cooper to help him write a book about how his childhood experiences with music led to his involvement in musical theater. Though the project never got off the ground, she decided to write it for him. Raised in a family who hosted annual Christmas carol parties, Langstaff was sent to a choir boarding school at the age of seven, where he quickly became a star soloist. After serving in World War II, he began a career as a well-known children's music teacher and authored several books of children's songs. Langstaff had a tremendous respect for the value of tradition and ritual in music, and in 1971 he and his daughter, Carol, created the first Christmas Revels, performances that combine traditional music, dance, and drama with audience participation. The well-researched narrative contains many quotes from primary sources such as Langstaff's letters and interviews with his family and associates (unfortunately, there are no source notes or index). Readers will finish this book feeling as though they have come to know the man who "was not so much a teacher as a missionary."âJackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
[Page 192]. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
